Search This Blog

Sunday, December 30, 2007

DearREADERS,You mean, Ol' Myrt here did something BESIDES genealogy during the past 14 days? Yes, I hiked in 3 feet of snow at Temple Rock Quarry with my eldest grandson Tracen, attended my daughter's Sandy City Orchestra Christmas Concert, frosted sugar cookies with Braden & Aubrey, attended church with both sets of grandchildren, got my youngest grandson to giggle even before I reach out to tickle him, played “Guitar Hero” on the X-box with my grandson TJ, played “cars” with grandson Tannon, got the Envoy some new tires for all of this Utah SNOW, and printed 20 color-laser copies of the official 2008 family calendar with birthdays and anniversaries.

Ok, the calendar making IS a genealogy project.

Genealogically-speaking, I did a lot of work on the syllabus for MyAncestorsFound.com’s upcoming Family History Expo which is scheduled for the 8-9 February 2008 at the Dixie Center; 1835 Convention Center Drive; St. George, Utah. DearMYRTLE be sponsoring a Q & A Booth, with visiting guest speakers from among the Expo’s presenters. Attendees will be able to choose from the following classes on FRIDAY the 8th. There is an equally useful and varied lineup for Saturday the 9th. Find out more and pre-register by visiting http://www.myancestorsfound.com/.

08:00 AM #1 KEYNOTE: Pirates of the Pedigree with Beau Sharbrough from Footnote.com

09:00 AM GRAND OPENING EXHIBIT HALL

10:00 AM #9 PAF Insight, Family Insight, and the New FamilySearch with John Vilburn

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received from our friends at WhollyGenes.com. All inquiries should be addressed to: Elizabeth Vinci marketing@whollygenes.com

** For Immediate Release **

THE BAR IS RAISED AGAIN FOR FAMILY HISTORY SOFTWAREThe Master Genealogist v7.0 has been released.

Wholly Genes, Inc., of Columbia, Maryland, is proud to announce the release of The Master Genealogist v7.0, the most comprehensive family history software on the market. For more than 14 years, The Master Genealogist ("TMG") has been the choice of professional genealogists and casual researchers alike because of its innovative features, extreme flexibility, attention to real-life research issues (like "witnesses" and their secondary roles in events), and support for the highest scholarly standards.

Despite the program's long-standing reputation as "the one that does it all," the new Version 7 incorporates more than 50 exciting new features. The program continues to innovate with features like a new "Associates Window" which lists in one place all of the people connected to the focus person (e.g., as witnesses to the same events), customizable pop-up reminders which encourage consistent data entry, and the ability to make color "highlights" or annotations on scanned images. The image highlighting actually happens on a transparent layer above the image so the original image isn't modified -- an important characteristic to family researchers.

A variety of powerful new features to control sentence output supplement those which, in previous versions, have helped researchers win awards for their published narratives. Among other enhancements, it is now easier to generate sentences which span more than one event (e.g., "He died in Tazewell, Virginia and was buried three days later in the town cemetery") with mid-sentence source citations. A real-time sentence preview now also makes it easier to see the effect of customizing those sentences.

"We're sure that researchers will appreciate the powerful new features in this release because they helped to design them," said Bob Velke, President of Wholly Genes Software. "Many of TMG's best features started with suggestions from users," said Velke, "and Version 7 is no exception." As examples of popular features that are already in that category, he cited the program's GenBridge direct-import technology, integrated historical timelines, customizable screen layouts, and the display of names in different colors to represent user-defined characteristics (e.g., red for people who were born in Tennessee and green for those who were born in Virginia).

Other new features in Version 7 include multi-level sorts, relationship calculation through spouses (e.g., wife of his third cousin), the ability to share your source list and output templates with other researchers through import/export, and the ability to check for duplicates while adding new people. A number of new filtering and reporting options are expected to be very popular and a long list of interface changes make the program easier to use, especially for novice researchers.

The Master Genealogist v7.0 is native to Windows Vista but is also designed for Windows 2000 or XP. More information is available from www.WhollyGenes.com

About Wholly GenesWholly Genes Software is a privately held corporation founded in 1993 with the goal of providing professional-caliber software tools to family historians. Its flagship product, The Master Genealogist, is among the highest rated family history project managers and is in use in more than 30 countries around the world.

Friday, December 21, 2007

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received by our friends at Family Tree Magazine. Please address all inquiries to FTMedit@fwpubs.com.

Family Tree Magazine Seeks Great Genealogy LibrariesTo learn more about libraries' resources and collections, the editors of Family Tree Magazine are trying to survey as many genealogical libraries as we can reach. Any type of genealogical library is eligible to participate: public or private, large or small, etc. as long as it has a genealogical collection the public can use (for free or by paying an admission fee).

May 14-17, 2008 will mark the 30th Annual Conference in the States and Family History Fair of the National Genealogical Society. The 2008 conference will be held in conjunction with local hosts – Missouri State Genealogical Association, Mid-Continent Public Library, Northland Genealogy Society, APG Heartland Chapter, and Johnson County, Kansas, Genealogical Society.

The 2008 conference will feature a special Beginner’s Workshop, to be held on Saturday 17 May at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Anybody is welcome to attend this Beginner’s Workshop - which will cover beginning aspects of genealogical/family history research. The workshop will teach how to organize what you know, and search for what you do not know. Participants will record family data on basic forms and learn about sources (with and without a computer) that will help them extend their family history. The workshop is limited to 50 participants and the fee is $30. This will be a 3 hour intensive workshop, starting at 8am and concluding at 11am.

No prior genealogical experience is needed for this workshop.

The Beginner’s Workshop will be led by qualified genealogists, Connie Lenzen, CG – President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), and Lynda Suffridge.

Anybody interested in family history/genealogical research is welcome to attend. At the same time attendees of the workshop can plan to visit the Family History Fair genealogical exhibits after the workshop ends – which will feature exhibits and sales of genealogy-related books, CDs, magazines, software, gift and fun items and more.

Interested workshop participants may also be interested in signing up for the full NGS 2008 Kansas City Conference, which commences on Wednesday 14 May and concludes on Saturday 17 May, 2008. The full conference program and registration links can be found on our website at: www.ngsgenealogy.org.

The 2008 conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center hotel downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The conference will feature 4 days of educational sessions for the beginner to the more experienced family history researcher. In addition the Family History Fair will feature over 150 exhibitors of genealogical goods and services, including genealogical software companies, book sellers, genealogical and historical societies, gifts, maps, and more.

The exhibit hall is attached to the main conference center and is open to conference attendees and the general public at no charge. There is a major shopping complex attached to the hotel by a glass enclosed walkway.

Hallmark Cards headquarters is also attached to the complex. Midwest research, homesteading records, military records, National Archives records, writing lectures, Research in the States, methodology, computer topics, a BCG Skillbuilding track, adoption research, African American research, land records, German research are among the many topics covered in the over 150 sessions. A DNA track and several computer labs as well as other workshops are among the many special presentations.

The National Genealogical Society was founded in 1903, and is the premier national society for everyone from the beginner to the most advanced family historian. The NGS serves its members by providing genealogical skill development through education, information, publications, research assistance, and networking opportunities.

Further information on the NGS Conference in the States & Family History Fair can be found at the NGS website at: www.ngsgenealogy.org

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following announcement was made by our friends at Ancestry.com late yesterday afternoon bypassing the radar of most genealogy bloggers. This requires the URGENT attention of those of us who created Online Family Trees at Ancestry many years ago using the old system which will be replaced "about March 2008" according to Ancestry's official blog. All inquiries should be made to support@ancestry.com .

Online Family Tree AnnouncementPosted by kfreestoneDecember 19, 2007 (3:16pm)Since 1999, our Online Family Tree system has helped almost 2 million people build family trees, upload GEDCOM files and add their trees to Ancestry World Tree. We’ve maintained this system for some time, but the it’s finally become outdated and will soon be replaced with the Ancestry Member Tree system introduced in July 2006. We realize this is a bitter disappointment for some of you who have worked in our Online Family Tree system for years.

This is an important step for us that lets us focus all our ability on creating one great system for everyone to use. At nearly 8 years old, Online Family Tree is an ancient product (in internet years anyway), and we feel it is important to move everyone to the new system while this one is still running. If we prolonged this, it would be much more difficult to do this while the OFT system is on life-support.

What does this mean for you?For those that have a file in the old Online Family Tree system, you’ll be able to access your tree in that system through about March 2008. Between now and then you can easily transition your family tree file to the Ancestry Member Tree system and get used to it before the Online Family Tree system expires. [Color emphasis added.]

We know how much time and energy you’ve put into your tree and we’ve done our best to make sure you don’t lose a bit of it as you change systems. There are basically two phases to this transition period for Online Family Tree:

Phase 1 — Trial and transition.Between now and March 2008 you can move your family tree file to the Ancestry Member Tree system and get familiar with it. Your file in the old Online Family Tree system will remain intact so you can double-check everything. However, once you’ve transitioned your tree to the Ancestry Member Tree system, any new information added or edits made will not be reflected in your Online Family Tree file. Do nothing during this timeframe and nothing will change in your Online Family Tree file. If you make changes to your Online Family Tree file after you’ve transitioned to Ancestry Member Trees, you’ll have the option to send the updated file to the new system once again.

Phase 2 — Tree expiration.At the end of March 2008 we’ll send you another reminder to transition your tree. At this point, your tree will no longer be accessible in the Online Family Tree system, but the file itself WILL remain on our servers and in the system for as long as we can maintain it. When you come to view your Online Family Tree file, you’ll see only a link to move your family tree file to the Ancestry Member Tree system.

After March 2008 we plan to remove the old feature set surrounding your file. This means that all Online Family Tree files previously submitted to Ancestry World Tree will remain there permanently, unless you take steps to remove it.

About Ancestry Member TreesThe Ancestry Member Tree system will give you most of the same features as the Online Family Tree system. That includes integrated record search, the ability to invite family members to edit and contribute, GEDCOM import and export and much more. The Ancestry Member Tree system will also offer many new and exciting features.

[See the original Online Family Tree Announcement for a comparison chart to show which features from the Online Family Tree system are available in the Ancestry Member Trees system.]

We believe you will find much to enjoy about Ancestry Member Trees, and we hope to continue to add features and make you excited about the product. Already more than 3 million people have created trees using the Ancestry Member Tree system, and we’ve been amazed at the work that has been done:

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: This breakthrough in negotiations restores access to Ancestry.com at the Family History Library and a few local Family History Centers. All inquires should be addressed to: sadams@tgn.com

From: Suzanne Russo Adams sadams@tgn.comSent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 2:07 PMSubject: FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY AND MAJOR REGIONAL FAMILY HISTORY CENTER PATRONS TO RECEIVE FREE ANCESTRY.COM ACCESS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY AND MAJOR REGIONAL FAMILY HISTORY CENTER PATRONS TO RECEIVE FREE ANCESTRY.COM ACCESS

FamilySearch and The Generations Network Agreement Give Patrons Access to More than 24,000 Ancestry.com Databases and Titles

Provo, UT – December 19, 2007 – FamilySearch and The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, today announced an agreement that provides free access of Ancestry.com to patrons of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the 13 largest regional family history centers effective today.

With this new agreement, full access will be provided to more than 24,000 Ancestry.com databases and titles and 5 billion names in family history records. In addition to the Family History Library, the following 13 regional family history centers have been licensed to receive access to Ancestry.com:

“We’re excited for our patrons to receive online access to an expanded collection of family history records on Ancestry.com,” said Don Anderson, director of FamilySearch Support. “Ancestry.com’s indexes and digital images of census, immigration, vital, military and other records, combined with the excellent resources of FamilySearch, will increase the likelihood of success for patrons researching their family history.”

The Generations Network and FamilySearch hope to expand access to other family history centers in the future.

FamilySearch patrons at the designated facilities will have access to Ancestry.com’s completely indexed U.S. Federal Census Collection, 1790-1930, and more than 100 million names in passenger lists from 1820-1960, among other U.S. and international record collections. Throughout the past year, Ancestry.com has added indexes to Scotland censuses from 1841-1901, created the largest online collection of military and African American records, and reached more than 4 million user-submitted family trees.

Free access is also available at Brigham Young University Provo, Idaho, and Hawaii campuses, and LDS Business College patrons through a separate agreement with The Generations Network.

“FamilySearch’s Family History Library in Salt Lake City is one of the most important physical centers for family history research in the world, and we are happy that patrons to the Library and these major regional centers will have access to Ancestry.com,” said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com. “We’ve enjoyed a ten-year working relationship with FamilySearch, and we look forward to continued collaboration on a number of family history projects.”

About FamilySearchFamilySearch is a nonprofit organization that maintains the world's largest repository of genealogical resources. Patrons may access resources online at FamilySearch.org or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. and is registered in the United States of America and other countries.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

DearREADERS,As if Bill Dollarhide hasn’t been busy enough compiling his US census substitutes series mentioned in Ol' Myrt’s blog over the weekend, now he has published a solution to a problem we run into with early American ancestry.

Bill writes “… if you have evidence that a man had died 10 months before a certain child was born, it would seem to exclude that man as the father of that child. But, if the calendar dates changed during the man's lifetime, you must be very precise in determining the exact date of death--and he may qualify as the father after all. Therefore, an understanding of the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar is important to genealogists.”

Be sure to read the article The 1752 Calendar Change in North America by William Dollarhide. Once the page opens, scroll down about ½ way through the 11 Dec 2007 issue of the Genealogy Pointers Newsletter from our friends at GPC Genealogical Publishing to read Bill’s comments about:

1582 changes

George Washington’s real birthday

1752 change

Double dating

Exceptions in North America

Quaker dates (these are really challenging!)

BRAVO to Bill for this concise calendar change explanation, helping genealogists overcome the challenge of deciphering cryptically-worded dates in Colonial American documents.

And BRAVO to GPC for providing relevant how-to info and independent product reviews in the Genealogy Pointers newsletter, in addition to detailed descriptions of book and CD offerings. Sure GPC wants you to visit their site, but honestly, there’s great stuff in each issue! If you’d like to receive an email copy of GPC's weekly, see Subscribe to Genealogy Pointers. To read previous issues, see the Genealogy Pointers Archives.

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received from our friends at ISFHWE The International Society of Family History Writers and Editors. All inquiries should be addressed to competition coordinator Yolanda Campbell Lifter ylifter@ohiofamilyresearch.com.

The International Society of Family History Writers and Editors is sponsoring its annual "Excellence in Writing" competition to recognize excellence in genealogical columns and articles.

The contest is open to all members of ISFHWE, both published and unpublished authors.

Contest entrants must be members of ISFHWE. (Entrants may join ISFHWE at the time they submit their competition entries.) The contest is judged by professionals in the fields of genealogy and journalism. The contest has four categories:

Category I - Newspaper Columns. This is for newspaper columns published on a regular basis, published in 2007. Entries must be shorter than 1,000 words.

Category II - Articles. These articles must have been published in 2007 in a journal, magazine, newsletter, or web site. Entries cannot exceed 5,000 words.

Category III - Genealogy Research Story. This category is for original, unpublished articles between 1,000 and 3,000 words. The articles should focus on the telling the story of genealogical research using one of these topics: "The Search for [ancestor's]," "Sorting Out the Entangled Roots of..." or " Encounters with a Family Skeleton."

Category IV - Want-to-be Writer/Columnist. Entrants in this category aspire to be writers or columnists in the field of genealogy/family or local history. The submissions in this category are original and unpublished, between 500 and 1,000 words.

Ancestry Magazine has again agreed to consider publishing the first-place winner in Category III.

Winners in each category will be awarded a cash prize and a certificate. The awards presentation will take place at the Gala ISFHWE Awards Banquet to be held at the National Genealogical Society conference in Kansas City, Missouri, 14 May 2008. (Those unable to attend will receive their awards after the conference.)

This year's contest coordinator and judges are ineligible, as are last year's first-place winners in their winning category. Employees and current contract writers for Ancestry.com or its parent company, The Generations Network, are ineligible to submit to Category III.

Entries must be RECEIVED by the coordinator no later than 15 February 2008. Entries must be mailed in time to make this deadline. Send entries (along with your check for the appropriate entry fee(s) and membership dues) to:

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Sunday's blog entry tonight, so I can go to church & play in the "big snow" of Dec 2007 with my grandchildren.

DearREADERS,GET-WELL wishes go out to Dick Eastman, noted genealogy technology guru whose busy schedule of late has landed him in the hospital with blurred vision, and a diagnosis of adult-onset diabetes.

TODAY Ol' Myrt here lunched with Tom Kemp and board members of the UGA (Utah Genealogical Association) despite the 6-8 inches of snow here in Salt Lake. Tom is the “father” of GenealogyBank and happily reports, “GenealogyBank had another great month in November adding more than 1.5 Million records and documents. The Historical Newspapers section was expanded with additional content from 53 titles gathered from 30 States. GenealogyBank now has 211,058,570 documents which is up from 209,556,376 last month. Historical Newspapers (1690-1977) Over 3,700 titles; 104+ Million articles - updated monthly.” Others at the lunch table raved about how these historical newspapers assisted in pre-1860 Philadelphia, New York City and Baltimore area ancestor searches.

SPEAKING of the UGA, they are sponsoring their 2008 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 7-11 January 2008 -- a great opportunity to combine learning with time before or after doing research at the world famous Family History Library.

JUST BUMPED INTO Leiland Meitzler, editor of Everton’s Genealogical Helper and author of the Genealogy Blog who is just wrapping up his annual Christmas Tour of the FHL Family History Library. I met him in the elevator of the Plaza (aka Luxe) Hotel right next to the FHL. This Santa gifted me with a copy of the brand-new, hot-off-the-presses Census Substitutes & State Census Records (in 2 volumes) by William Dollarhide.

GENEA-MUSINGS’ blogger Randy Seaver wrote in How do I access this book? providing a thoughtful reply to a reader in search of a book on the shelf at the Family History Library. Since the FHL does not circulate books, Randy discusses four great alternatives for locating a copy of the book. Failing these other suggestion, might Ol' Myrt here add there is the option of using the Request for Photocopies – (…Books…) form. Due to copyright, the entire book cannot be copied, but after requesting a copy of the index mentioning an ancestor using the form, one can then submit a second request for the content pages referenced in the index.

ABOUT NEW YORK From the Association of Professional Genealogists public mailing list, Dick Hillenbrand writes “If you are interested in good maps, or plan on doing any land research anywhere in New York State, then you will likely want to read my review of one of the very best New York State Atlases available. You will find the article on the Upstate New York Genealogy blog site.” Now Ol' Myrt here is no expert on New York research, but this posting keeps popping back into my mind, which means someone out there needs this info. Thanks Dick!

VIA EMAIL my friend Jay Speyerer of Legacy Road Communications introduced me to a wonderful gal, Margaret Randall. Their new joint project is www.tellourlifestories.com. This is of great importance to family historians. Coming up with writing topics is really a problem.

Ol' Myrt here supports anything to encourage the writing and transcription of first-hand reports of the “life & times of…”

RE: Genealogy-specific software makes it easierFrom: clcasper@sprynet.comDearMYRTLE,One Windows program that you failed to mention and which is outstanding (I know -- I used to teach genealogy software classes and have used about 8 different programs including FTM, TMG, RootsMagic, Legacy, Cumberland Family Tree, Kith & Kin, Brothers Keeper, and others) is GENBOX. I find it very annoying that genealogy "authorities" simply overlook (either intentionally or unconsciously) this wonderful program.

From: AdrianR@just-contact.me.ukDearMYRTLE,You may remember I have written to you in the past. I read your recent article Genealogy-specific software makes it easier and I agree with you throughout the entire article. There are two points I would recommend to readers. Firstly, that they should still take backups of their online data pools as a safety precaution and in order to pass on to other interested parties if they wish. Secondly, and in my opinion, more importantly is that Linux has an extremely and powerful genealogy program called GRAMPShttp://www.gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

This software differs from your all your other recommendations because:

It is totally free, all of the software you have suggested have significant commercial sides to them.

Anyone can be involved in the software development. You can be involved in shaping the software, discussing directly with the developers instead of it being left behind closed doors.

This software can been transferred to run on the platforms of MS Windows and Mac, interestingly none of those in your article can so easily be run on other platforms.

I was using FTM, PAF, and ancestry.com to store my findings but it was the professionalism of GRAMPS that made me decide not only to solely use it for my records, by I also decided to migrate to Linux completely.

Just felt it could help balance the recommended software. Thanks for listening :)

DearCHERI & ADRIAN,Thank-you for your prompt replies.Ol' Myrt's previous blog entry was not meant to slight anyone, nor was it intended to include every genealogy database program on the market (freebie or otherwise.) I think the gist of my comments was that one should choose the program "the majority of the members of your local genealogy society are already accustomed to using.” That was strictly from a “we get by with a little help from our friends”point of view.

I am aware that the Windows-compatible RootsMagic works beautifully on a MAC using Parallels, since I installed it for my friend Wendy and helped her begin entering data from her gobs of paper genealogy files. Theoretically, any Windows-compatible program can work on a MAC in that manner. However, all this information about cross-platform use is a bit more technical than I wished to be in the original blog entry.

BACKING UP IS ESSENTIALOl' Myrt here did fail to mention the necessity of making a series of backups on a regular basis. We need it not only because of possible hard drive failure, but because of human failure. What? Never made a big mistake in data entry and wished you could get back to how things were last week, before you created a snafu in your database? Well, take it from an experienced snafu creator, make backups as follows:

One every time you enter more than 2 names or correct entries for 2 ancestors in your database.

Place one copy of the backup on a flash drive.

Place another copy of the backup file on a rewritable CD or secondary hard drive if you have one.

Be sure to include the DATE as part of the name of the backup file such as:Richley 2007 March 1Richley 2007 June 15 after reunionRichley 2007 Nov 25Richley 2007 Dec 1

NOTE: By typing the YEAR before the month and day, all backups made in 2007 will be grouped together in the default name-sorted list of files in your computer’s document folder, and there will be no need to take an extra step to sort the files by date created.

ONLINE STORAGE OF DATAThere are backup services where one can securely store data in a password-protected environment for a small monthly fee. See Dick Eastman’s blog entry of 22 April 2007 titled One Last (?) Word About Backups concerning hard drive failure, and his entry of 11 Sept 2007 Loss of backups where he discusses the need for multiple copies of backups.

This is different from the backing up (to your local computer) of one's online genealogy database. Again, this is a more advanced topic I didn't wish to burden a newbie with on his first time out of the "genealogical database management" starting gate.

Friday, December 07, 2007

DearREADERS,People are always asking me WHERE to find genealogy books for their personal collections or holiday gift giving. Unfortunately the brick & mortar bookstores have only a handful of titles. Whenever there is a genealogy conference, we usually pour over the booksellers' wares to find relevant titles. As I discovered when shopping a few years back at a conference in Nashville with my friend Audrey, it helps to bring along a suitcase with wheels!

Ol' Myrt just received word that our friends at HERITAGE BOOKS are making your holiday shopping a little bit easier. Owner Craig R. Scott, CG writes "Heritage Books announces it annual Starlight Shopping Sale. 20% off all in stock inventory at www.HeritageBooks.com. The sale as started, do not miss this opportunity to purchase your genealogy books. If there is a book that you are looking for from a major genealogy publisher check with us by phone at 800 876-6103 to see if we have it in stock. We just might. With over 6,000 titles in stock, over 2,800 published by Heritage Books it is likely that there will be something of interest for everyone."

Heritage Books is unquestionably one of the top three genealogy book publishers in the country. You'll get a chance to view many Heritage Books titles and hear from Craig Scott speak about "Locating your Revolutionary War Ancestor" at MyAncestorsFound.com's St. George 2008 Genealogy & Family History Expo sponsored by FamilySearch, FamilyLink.com, Ancestry.com, TheSpectrum.com, FamilyTreeMagazine.com, Footnote.com, Generation Maps, DearMYRTLE, and Godfrey.org.

Craig R. Scott, MA, CG is the author of The ‘Lost Pensions’: Settled Accounts of the Act of 6 April 1838 and Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Inventory 14 (Revised). He has co-authored several books relating to records in Northern Virginia. He has authored articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and Family Chronicle and many other genealogical publications. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than twenty-three years, he specializes in the records of the National Archives, especially those that relate to the military. He was the Clan Scott Genealogist (1985 – 2000). He is a member of the Company of Military Historians, recently a Governor-at- Large of the Virginia Genealogical Society, on the editorial board of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and a Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. A faculty member for several years of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, Samford University he was the coordinator of the 2007 Advanced Military Records Course about the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

But, look through Craig's Heritage Book titles this week and take advantage of the 20% savings offer.

From: rlhenry1@yahoo.comDearMYRTLE,As you may know, I've been researching my ancestors in France and have been working with a genealogist from the APG in France. It turns out that the ancestry that branches of the family did in 1900 is incorrect!

I sent you all of the references of material that they had looked at back in 1900 or so, and had the genealogist look over the reports that they looked at back then. His response was entirely different than what the branches of our family had assumed was the case back then, not knowing the French system of reports and how documents were filed and what they implied.

It was evident that [previous researchers] had come up with some false assumptions based on the mistakes they made back them.

To give an example: one of the researchers tried to assert that a certain noble family was of our background due to similarity of events in both families backgrounds (back in 1900, from what I've been told, this was quite common for people to try to link themselves up to a "noble" family, crests, etc., and it was certainly true with a few of our branchesin the family from back them as well.)

The problem though became apparent almost immediately in today's terms, as the noble family that they tried to assert we belonged to, was childless, thus we couldn't be from their lineage in the couple's case that they were asserting we came from. Also, it turns out that noble families were not allowed to have trades per se, except in very rare cases where the trade was of such a rarified trade, like stain glass making for churches, that nobles were indeed allowed to study that and carry on that trade. [However] being a merchant, or a furniture maker, wasn't allowed for noble families from what I've gathered.

That was a major roadblock and couldn't be denied in our ancestors backgrounds, since our ancestors did indeed have trades and were very well established. It most likely [they] weren’t a "noble" family per se, but records are few and far between for the time period, so nothing at this point is cut in stone, so to speak.

In any case, I've eliminated the "noble" family from our family tree, and have inserted the merchants that these latest documents prove (up to a point) are our ancestors in the 17th century. I am still having research done and I should have more information, if records are found, to clarify relationships more than where they stand right now. I hope that I'll havemore news for researching records next week on this family history conundrum.

In terms of what to do with the documentation, I have the baptisms for some of the family back then and a marriage record in a zip file on my computer. How do I attach these records to the branches of the tree where they belong? That is where I'm struggling due to the different scanned formats some of the documents are in. Some are .jpg pictures; some arenot, but are documents and all of the text isn't coming through in the scanned images.

I'm not sure what to do about converting these records in a doable format that is readable and printable for attaching to the tree branches. Please advise on this if you would be so kind.

Happy Holidays to You & Yours.

DearROGER,Thank-you for attaching many of the compiled details on your family tree in Word, .pdf and .zip format.

You are justified in requesting readable scanned images of original documents from that APG (Association of Professional Genealogists) researcher. Having said that, it is entirely possible that the photocopy from microfilm of the original record is difficult to read, and that the “fuzzy” image plus a word-for-word transcription from your professional researcher may have to suffice.

To solve the problem of how to pull things together, Ol' Myrt here is going to ask you to obtain a new software program – one designed specifically for family history. Contrast this with the word-processing program you are using where it is indeed hard to “attach” identifying documents, and keep track of all family relationships. Genealogy-specific software makes it easier to record the accumulated info.

WHY USE A GENEALOGY SOFTWARE PROGRAM?Do it because I asked you to! OK, the real reason family history researchers use them is that genealogy programs are designed for tracking individuals in family groups and arranging things in pedigree format. This visual representation of families also makes it easier to navigate through your compiled genealogy while adding to and amending the database. You’ll type the information in ONE time, and then print a variety of reports including name lists, locality-sorted event lists, books and sharable CDs, to name a few. There are options for including different ancestral lines including blood, adopted and disputed lines. Most 21st century software allows for foreign language characters.

The ability to retain info on the disputed lines makes it easier for you to explain the problem to another researcher who may follow in your footsteps. Yet keeping track of the disputed lines does not affect your ability to print “clean” (read that accurate) pedigree charts, family group sheets and books on your proven blood line.

Once you have transcribed the accumulated information into your genealogy software (starting with yourself, adding parents, siblings, spouse and children) you can work back through the paperwork you’ve shown me to document each generation with the basics such as birth, christening, marriage, death and burial info. Cite your sources using the source option for each event. Additional events can be added when necessary. Ol' Myrt adds biographical information in notes. When viewing an ancestor’s individual edit screen, there is an option in each of the mainstream genealogy software programs to add multi-media files, which can include photos and scanned images of the documents you’ve collected about that person. Alternately, those scanned images of source documents can be attached to the source citation for each event in a person’s life listed in your genealogy software program.

WHICH GENEALOGY PROGRAM SHOULD ONE USE?The simple answer is use the program that the majority of the members of your local genealogy society are already accustomed to using. That way you will have a large pool of near-by advisors if you have questions. However, most genealogy programs are quite intuitive, unlike the earlier versions released in the mid-to-late 1980s.

Another requirement for genealogy software is that it must be able to create and import GEDCOM files. Don’t worry about that technical term right now. Suffice it to say that a GEDCOM file is a generic file format that allows researchers with different genealogy programs share data fairly seamlessly.

Here is a partial list of genealogy management software for your consideration:

At this point in time, I do not recommend Family Tree Maker because notes are sometimes lost, when restoring from backup or when creating a GEDCOM file. Even in Ol' Myrt’s experience among friends, this has proven an unfortunate problem. There are other issues the users of the current version are quite vocal about.

Please note that Ol' Myrt here is not expecting you to keep your data online. Eventually this may be the way of things for all our documents, be they word processing, photos or genealogy data. For readers with more experience, consideration should be made using such options as:

WeRelate (An intuiative place on the web where you search for connections and share your data.)

Newbies will be quite busy getting the accumulated genealogy typed into their newly-acquired genealogy management program. I do not recommend placing genealogy data online unless one is particularly well-versed in using genealogy software at home, are accustomed to the use of the internet, and are able to assure the privacy of living individuals. Perhaps having established a PO Box or other private mailbox should also be a prerequisite for security’s sake.

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received from our friends at Footnote.com. Please address all inquiries to: justin@footnote.com

Footnote.com launches the largest collection of World War II photos on the web

-Tens of thousands of photos and documents are made available for the first time on the web for historians, genealogists and the general public-

Lindon, UT - December 6, 2007 – Footnote.com today announced the addition of thousands of US Air Force photos to their digital World War II collection. This release coincides with the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, and contains tens of thousands of original World War II photos and documents from the National Archives. Among this collection are missing air crew reports, documents from allied military conferences and photos of Japanese air targets.

“They say that a picture is worth a thousand words,” says Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “What’s exciting about this collection of photos is they also include captions that tell stories of the people and events in the photos.”

Footnote.com has added these new pictures and documents as part of a much larger, ongoing effort to preserve the heroic memories and stories of the brave men and women that served in World War II and other wars.

“We are providing priceless content from our archives and libraries that is only a part of a much larger picture,” continued Wilding, “While this is an extensive collection of history, we understand that many people out there have valuable pieces of history in their personal record collections within their own homes. We encourage everyone to upload their own photos, letters and documents contained in their old shoeboxes.”

Footnote.com is leading the movement to preserve the documents and stories about World War II and invites everyone to join in this effort. Uploading photos and documents and creating memorial pages is completely free on Footnote.com. To view samples of these photos and other World War II documents, visit Footnote.com/wwii.php

About Footnote, Inc.Footnote.com is a subscription website that features searchable original documents that provide users with an unaltered view of the events, places and people that shaped the American nation and the world. At Footnote.com all are invited to come share, discuss, and collaborate on their discoveries with friends, family, and colleagues. For more information, visit http://www.footnote.com

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

"Just where do you post those notes of items you have already searched when looking for an ancestor?""Does your annotated bibliography go in notes or in your research binder?""What if you are looking for an entire family?"

WHAT DOES MYRT DO WITH HER REPORT OF FINDINGS?

1. Immediately after viewing an item, I make notes of my findings (or non-findings) on the related printout from the Family History Library Catalog (or whatever library catalog I used to obtain the idea for looking at a book, fiche or microfilm.)

2. Toward the end of my research day, I leave time to send myself a summary email, working through each printout, being careful to transcribe the author, title, copyright, facility name, call number, and results of findings. This helps me review my "thinking" and assures me that I did not forget to look at a specific resource before I leave the facility. This is particulaly important when traveling to distant research facilities, where I won't have the luxury of coming back the next day to continue research.

3. Next, before leaving the facility, I file the printouts with a copy of the summary email in the temporary research folderfor the surname I am searching. Ol' Myrt here has folders in her research briefcase labeled:

Barb's Isaac MOORE Research

SEVERINSON Research

Dolly (YOCKEY) Weiser Research

4. While taking the train home, I review my printouts and summary to be sure I didn't miss anything. Sometimes new ideas will come to me during this final review.

5. Once home, I retreive my email summary report, taking care to copy/paste it to the NOTES portion of each applicable ancestor's file in my genealogy management program. This way, if it takes a long time to get back to research, or someone asks me about a particular ancestor in the mean time, I can copy/paste what I have previously searched in an email reply.

6. Ideally, I carry no more than a few research folders to a research facility. Typically the folders contain the following documents to keep me oriented to the research assignment I'm working on at the moment. (I give myself several research assignments on each trip to the Library, often with the help of GenSmarts.)

Family group sheets

Pedigree chart

only copies of pertinent documents

If I decide to work another line, the SEVERINSON research folder can be slipped into the SEVERINSON family notebook on my library shelf. That way all info on a specific surname is in the appropriate surname notebook, with the exception of 2-3 research folders in my research briefcase. (OK, we're not talking about the 2-foot stack of photocopies sitting on the corner of my computer desk, yet to be scanned and filed. Nobody is perfect. I like to scan all new source documents and attach them to the appropriate ancestor's file in my genealogy management program.) That last paragraph brings up a good point -- What is one to do with a new-found record that DOES mention an ancestor? Well, you have the document listed in the ancestors NOTES in your genealogy program, if you successfully copied/pasted it from your email summary report. Then it is merely a matter of scanning the document, attaching it to the apropriate ancestor, slipping your photocopy into a top-loading sheet protector, and filing it in the appropriate research notebook, right after the specific family group sheet mentioning the ancestor. You may elect to "attach the document to an ancestor" as follows:

(newer) As a source, with appropriate bibliographic citation as prompted by the genealogy software.

(older) As a multi-media file, where the caption is sort, but the "info" about the media file can provide the bibliographic details not necessarily prompted by the genealogy software.

I've been doing genealogy for so long, that I must admit I use the second method, as the newer source options weren't available in earlier versions of genealogy software.

Some research facilities provide equipment than scans from book or microfilm, so you won't have to worry about filing the document in the research notebook. However, I like to see all the accumulated documents in paper format filed after each applicable fmaily group sheet. Also, it is usually cheaper to print your own copy at home (about 4 cents per page compared to 25 cents or so at typical research facilities.)

Is everything scanned? Nope. It is all I can do to work through the current workload of research. SOMEDAY, I'll get around to going through my 63 research binders to scan & attach the older documents. The documents are cited in NOTES for each ancestor.

While it is true that a laptop might prove useful at the library, it is just plain heavy, and there is always the worry about theft, despite the wired lock-down mechanism. In case I need to look at another family in my database, I keep a PAF copy of my current database on a flash drive. I can view it at the Family History Library or any of its computerized Centers because I know they have a current copy of PAF on at least one computer. I've only rarely needed to do this, as my research folders are usually packed with enough assignments.

I do not transcribe directly to notes on my laptop (prefering the email interface) because I am trying to provide several check-points to review my work before committing the work to my hopefully reliable genealogy database. More often than not, Ol' Myrt has discovered that she needs to expand the bibliographic citation before it is placed in an ancestor's notes as mentioned in item #2 above.

Friday, November 30, 2007

DearREADERS,Ol' Myrt was given a research assignment by her good friend Barb. It is a matter of locating the will of one Isaac Moore who married Nancy Wyatt to prove relationship to their son Hamilton/Hamp Moore. She previously had a copy of the will, and figures she lost it when making an additional copy at Office Depot a few years back. Now she needs this will as part of her application for a lineage society membership. To save my DearREADERS time and eyesight, suffice it to say that Barb submitted birth years & places for each of the members of her 2nd great-grandfather Isaac & Nancy (Wyatt) Moore’s family. She surmised Isaac’s death to be after the 1850 census, since he is not found in the 1860 census.

WHAT DID MYRT DO?I followed Barb’s instructions, and looked at items, step-by-step and then reported my findings that very afternoon via email, as follows:

Dear Barb,I've spent the afternoon at the FHL looking for your Isaac Moore's will. I thought I had him, but found instead info on a younger Isaac Moore who happened to die intestate in 1855 in Coweta County. As I worked through all the letters of administration, and annual returns, I kept seeing the name "Sarah Ann Moore" without any mention of your known Isaac Moore’s spouse or children. So, I looked Isaac & Sarah up in the 1850 census, and found them listed in 19th Division, Coweta County, Georgia Census at Ancestry.com image 60, page 313 left side. He is 38, she 36, and children in the household include Nancy 8, Will 13, Newman 10, Griffin 6, Frank 4 and Wm 2. So this doesn't look at all like your Isaac Moore with wife Nancy,etc.

Here's what else I've done today:

FOUND ISAAC MOORE birth date 1750 in Delaware. listed in the AGBI American Genealogical-Biographical Index, Volume 120 page 21. Revolutionary War. (I did not look in the book form of AGBI, but found the reference at Ancestry.com.) That AGBI books are not part of the FHL collection. Call the folks at Godfrey.org, the compiler of the AGBI, to have them photocopy the entry AND the referenced sources.

Fayette County, Georgia Wills 1828-1953 (Georgia Court of Ordinary) from Fayette County, Georgia. FHL film 209388.

Henry County, Wills & Bonds 1826-1952 (Georgia Court of Ordinary) from courthouse in McDonough. FHL film 175298. Did find the original will, already in your possession, of Isaac more whose wife was Frankey on page 68, stating that the estate would "be equally divided with my seven children, Jacob Moore, John Moore, Joshua Moore, Isaac Moore, William Moore, James Moore, Eli Moore."

Clayton County, Wills 1858-1919 (Georgia Court of Ordinary) from the courthouse at Jonesboro, GA (Isn't that the place with the splotchy painted library!?? :) ) FHL US/Can Film 229449.

This is the sort of citation that should appear in our research notes for each ancestor, so that we don’t make the mistake of ordering the same microfilm again and again, only to discover AGAIN that we could not find our ancestor among the pages.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received from the NARA Public Affairs Office. All inquiries should be addressed to: Public.Affairs@nara.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 29, 2007

NATIONAL ARCHIVES HOSTS MONTHLY BOOK GROUP DISCUSSIONS IN 2008

Washington, DC*The National Archives will hold six book group discussions in 2008. All programs are free and open to the public, and will be held at noon in the National Archives Building Research Center, Room G-24. Please check the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) for book availability and a special discount for book group participants.

Please note: the public should use the National Archives Building's 700 Pennsylvania Avenue entrance, between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. The National Archives is fully accessible. To request a special accommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) for a public program please email public.program@nara.gov or call (202) 357-5000 at least two weeks prior to the event.

February 19, 2008Lindbergh, by A. Scott BergFrom the moment he landed in Paris on May 21, 1927, Lindbergh found himself thrust into the limelight of the media. Berg casts a new light on Lindbergh's childhood; his astonishing flight; the kidnapping of his son; his fascination with Hitler's Germany; and his unsung work in his later years. Author A. Scott Berg is the first and only writer to have been given unrestricted access to the massive Lindbergh archives - more than two thousand boxes of personal papers, including reams of unpublished letters and diaries.

March 18, 2008These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory, by Thomas A. Desjardin and Robert Pigeon (Editor).Ever since the battle of Gettysburg ended and Lincoln delivered his famous two-minute speech remembering those who had given their lives, this three-day conflict in 1863 has become an American legend. Gettysburg is remembered as the biggest, bloodiest, and most important battle ever fought in the Civil War. How much truth is behind the legend? Desjardin, a prominent Civil War historian and a perceptive cultural observer, demonstrates how flawed our knowledge of this enormous event has become, and why.

April 15, 2008All You Need Is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s, by Elizabeth Cobbs HoffmanEveryone has heard of the Peace Corps, and that's no accident. When the agency was started in the early days of the Kennedy Administration, one of the top priorities was making it known virtually overnight, and some of the most talented advertising professionals in America donated their expertise to publicizing it. Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, a professor of American foreign relations at San Diego State University, details the first decade of the Peace Corps, focusing on the struggles to create the agency, the political skill that made it flourish, and the influence of the Vietnam War.

September 16, 2008Revolution Remembered: Eyewitness Accounts of the War for Independence, by John C. Dann (Editor), John C. Dann (Editor)A fascinating selection of information based on the testimony of embattled farmers who tell us in their own words what they saw with their own eyes. The Revolution Remembered uses 79 first-hand accounts from veterans of the war to provide the reader with the feel of what it must have been like to fight and live through America's bloody battle for independence. The military pension records at the National Archives provided an important source for this book.

October 21, 2008Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence from Nazi Germany to Iran and North Korea, by Jeffrey T. RichelsonRichelson traces the evolution of U.S. nuclear intelligence efforts--both successes and failures--from the early days of World War II to the twenty-first century. The author focuses on the early nuclear programs of 15 nations and the U.S. effort to determine if they were trying to acquire nuclear weapons, how far they had gotten, and their attempts to improve those capabilities. Richelson draws on recently declassified documents and interviews with scientists and spies involved in nuclear espionage. His analysis of the nation's nuclear espionage includes spy-satellite photographs from the National Archives.

November 18, 2008The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art, by Hector FelicianoDuring the occupation of Paris, the Nazis confiscated nearly 100,000 artworks from more than 200 collectors, transporting most of the spoils to Germany. After the war, many works that were found were returned to their owners. But a large number had disappeared, been destroyed, or spirited out of Europe into the underground art market. Drawing on recently declassified government archives and information provided by the heirs of the collections, Feliciano traces the fate of the artworks, including many that ended up in major art museums throughout Europe and the United States.

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received from the Public Affairs Office of the NARA. Address inquires to: public.program@nara.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 29, 2007SPECIAL PROGRAMS TO HIGHLIGHT NATIONAL ARCHIVES RECORDS IN JANUARYWashington, DC. . .In January, the National Archives will feature two programs highlighting records from its holdings. Both programs are free and open to the public and will be held in the National ArchivesBuilding and at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

Please note: For programs at the National Archives Building, the public must use the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance, between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, Washington, DC.

Tuesday, January 8, at 11 a.m., National Archives Building ResearchCenterGenealogy in 2020 Join us for a look at the future of genealogy research. Beau Sharbrough, vice president of content for Footnote.com, will relate acautionary tale about jumping to conclusions based on limited information. He will also discuss the differences among primary records-especially those that have been digitized. (This lecture will berepeated at the National Archives at College Park, MD, in Lecture RoomB, on Thursday, January 10, at 11 a.m.)

Tuesday, January 15, at 11 a.m., National Archives Building ResearchCenterTime and Punishment: 200 Years of Penal Reform in the District of Columbia Archives technician Alison Gavin will discuss primary and secondary resources relating to the horrific conditions of the DC jail and workhouse over the past 200 years and explore how history has influenced the present state of the District's prison system. (This lecture will be repeated at the National Archives at College Park, MD, in LectureRoom B, on Thursday, January 17, at 11 a.m.)

From the Records Book Group There is no book group discussion in January. The group will meet again on Tuesday, February 19, at 11 a.m. to discuss Lindbergh, by A. Scott Berg.

Both Archives facilities are fully accessible. To request anaccommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) for a public program,please email http://email.secureserver.net/webmail.php#Compose or call (202) 357-5000 at least twoweeks prior to the event. To verify the date and times of theprograms, the public should call (202) 357-5333, or view the Calendar ofEvents on the web at: http://www.archives.gov/calendar/.

DearREADERS,This morning’s email brought more news of the FindMyPast.com’s National Burial Index. Ol' Myrt here believes that ancestral research is actually getting easier. Search the database for free, and observe the “hit list” including name, burial year and county.

“The National Burial Index (NBI) for England and Wales is an ongoing project devised and orchestrated by the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS). With the encouragement of the FFHS, its member societies set about transcribing burial indexes, with the aim of creating a national record which significantly pre-dates civil registration (which began in 1837).

The NBI is an index to help family historians find burial records. It complements the International Genealogical Index (IGI), which is a finding aid largely focused on baptisms and marriages. Findmypast have made over 10 million records from the National Burial Index available…”

When your global search of this database indicates an ancestor, you’ll need to sign in as a member to view the details, and pay one “unit”. The cost of units is as follows:

£6.95 - 60 units valid for 90 days£24.95 - 280 units valid for 1 year

Don’t worry about the exchange rate as this is factored in when you use a credit card. Ol' Myrt uses just one card for online purchases, being careful to transfer money to this debit/VISA credit card account -- no more and no less than my planned purchases for the month. In all my years of online purchases from trusted websites with secure servers such as FindMyPast.com, I've never had a speck of trouble.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received from our friends at Footnote.com. All inquiries should be addressed to justin@footnote.com.FOOTNOTE.COM DIGITIZES LATE 18TH CENTURY NEWSPAPER,THE TIMES (LONDON)

- The Times (London) Includes Details About King George, Napoleon, As Well As Trials, Advertisements and Everyday Life

Lindon, UT – November 28, 2007 – Footnote.com today announced the release of original images from The Times (London from 1785 – 1820). These documents include details about prominent figures of that time such as King George and Napoleon Bonaparte.

“Each page in this collection is full of intriguing details about European life during late 18th and early 19th centuries,” says Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com “We are excited to see what people will discover and share from this fascinating collection.”

In addition to details regarding prominent people, the newspapers provide interesting insight into everyday life in England at that time, including; reports on crimes and trials, advertisements from local businesses, weather reports and announcements about local interests like the release of the newly published “Sense and Sensibility” by Jane Austen.

Footnote.com is a social networking site that allows users to do more than just find historical documents. Footnote.com enables people to interact with history by providing tools that help users showcase their discoveries and share their insights with others.

“These records can be found in other places, but what makesFootnote.com so different is the social networking component we offer,” explains Wilding. “Social networking isn’t just for young people on MySpace or Facebook anymore. People of all ages with different interests like history are now interacting with each other on the internet. Footnote.com has made it easy for anyone to come online and join in The History Revolution.”

Visit Footnote.com to access free samples of these original documents and to see what Footnote members have contributed.

About Footnote, Inc.Founded in 1997 as iArchives, Inc., Footnote.com is a subscription website that features searchable original documents that provide users with an unaltered view of the events, places and people that shaped the American nation and the world. At Footnote.com all are invited to come share, discuss, and collaborate on their discoveries with friends, family, and colleagues. For more information, visit www.footnote.com

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

DearREADERS,The BBC News just reported that “British phone books dating as far back as 1880 are to be published online for the first time. More than 280 million names, numbers and addresses in 1,780 British phone books will be online following a 26-month project by Ancestry.co.uk. The editions were published between 1880 and 1984, and include famous figures such as former prime ministers, writers and composers. The first phone book was published in 1880 for 248 London subscribers. One for the whole country was published 19 years later, covering 81,000 entries in a single volume of just 1350 pages."

Jake Gehring of Salt Lake City, Utah, has been elected president of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the world's leading professional organization of family history and related professionals.

He has been an APG board member since 2004 and vice-president since 2006. He will succeed Sharon Tate Moody, CG, of Sun City, Florida.

Gehring is a popular technology writer and lecturer and is employed with the Family & Church History Department of the LDS Church. Jake graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in genealogy/family history and is former editor of Genealogical Computing.

Gehring, reflecting on his upcoming tenure, said "APG has grown over the last twenty-five years into an active and dynamic organization. I believe 2008 will be an outstanding year for us in terms of solidifying value for our membership. We are seeing significant growth in the number and activity of local chapters, improvement in our journal and mailing list as education vehicles, and continued development of the APG website, all of which translate into more assistance for each of us in our daily genealogical work."

APG members also elected three members of the board's executive committee and nine of its 19 regional directors to two-year terms as well as two members to one-year terms on the nominating committee.

Laura G. Prescott of Brookline, New Hampshire, a professional researcher, writer, and speaker, was elected vice president of the nearly 2,000-member organization. Gordon Gray of Colorado Springs, Colorado, owner of GrayLine Group, a genealogical/family history research business, was elected treasurer. Current APG Secretary John Vincent Wylie of Grand Prairie, Texas, was re-elected. His articles have been published in numerous genealogical publications including NGSQ and Genealogical Computing.

Janet Irwin, MLS, of Oregon, and Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, of Minnesota, were elected to one-year terms on the nominations committee.

The Association of Professional Genealogists http://www.apgen.org established 1979, represents professional genealogists and people in related professions who do professional-quality work for hire or for themselves.

NOW TO GO THROUGH THE BACKLOG of old email and catch up on RSS feeds. An interesting thread on the Genealogical Speakers Guild www.genealogicalspeakersguild.org mailing list concerns whether local societies should purchase computer projectors to enhance meetings. I still think it is best for the presenter to bring his own laptop & projector, because there are always incompatibility issues that force time delays – something best avoided in jam-packed society meetings.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORTIVE EMAILS. I must confess, Ol' Myrt here hasn’t been much up to writing, because everything written turns out syrupy and melancholy, due to the challenges of losing both parents within 9 months of each other. However, I am determined to make progress. I look around at people who are older, and realize their parents have passed, and yet life goes on for them. I guess Ol' Myrt will figure this out somehow.

GRANDCHILDREN are my saving grace. How delightful to spend time with these gentle, but very active little personages.

ONE GREAT THING is that Ol' Myrt here will be going to the Family History Library on a regular (almost daily) basis, so at the very least, upcoming columns can be commentaries about documents and research challenges.